General Planning: Out On On The Water

Your Responsibilities While Out On The Water

• On the water the leader is responsible to the group. He must organize the trip so that it is safe and enjoyable for all participants. All participants and especially the leaders should keep watch over the other people on a trip. The best way to deal with accidents is to avoid them by anticipating problems.

• Everyone on rapid or cold rivers must wear a PFD (lifejacket) and it must be fastened, zipped, closed and tied completely. Loose PFD's will ride up on the body, reducing their effectiveness, and may even pin the arms or come off over the head.

• Assign a lead boat, not necessarily the trip leader. Lead boaters should be strong paddlers with good river and rescue skills who know the section of river. Other paddlers should not pass the lead boat, and they should stop promptly if the lead boat stops. The lead boat should stop above all major rapids and at good play spots. The rapids can then be described to the rest of the party or can be scouted.

• The leader should stay with the trip or designate a substitute leader if conditions make it necessary for him (her) to leave the group. Any participant who decides to leave the group should inform the leader before doing so.

• In general, there should be a sweep boat to bring up the rear. The sweep boater should be equipped and trained for rescue. Although the sweep should maintain contact with the last boats in a group, he need not stay rigidly behind them. Sweep boats are not effective as safety boats on rivers where people and boats get swept away downstream rather than getting caught on rocks. The sweep and the last few boaters should not be the slowest paddlers on a trip, or they will be left behind.

• The lead boats should not run away from those behind them. If the group seems to be getting too spread out, stop and gather it back together. A trip should be kept together and cohesive both for safety and to help people feel that they are part of the group instead of wandering downstream in single file, essentially alone on the river.

• The group should warm up at the beginning of a trip by doing ferries, surfing, eddy turns and paddling upstream. Warm-ups are a great morale booster and also allow the leader to assess the skills of paddlers he may not know. Encourage everyone to join in. This is also a good time to begin helping anyone whose paddling skills are marginal. If people are having trouble it is better to stop early in the trip and help them than to rescue them repeatedly later.

• If people are still having trouble, assign one or two "buddy boats" to help them along. Have them sneak, line or walk the more difficult stretches if possible or let stronger paddlers run their boats through. In more extreme cases it may be necessary to split a weak tandem team and pair them with stronger boaters. However, this reduces the rescue abilities of the stronger paddlers.

• While on the water, each paddler should take responsibility for the boat behind. It should be kept in sight and within reasonable rescue distance. After going through a rapid or going around a bend where contact with the following boat is lost, pull over, eddy out, and wait until the next boat comes through before going on. The following boat then waits for the next boat. This sets up a running safety boat system that will not slow the progress of the trip much.

• At more difficult rapids the lead boats should stop and bring the group together to discuss the rapid or to scout it. Several strong, experienced boaters, whose chances of successful negotiation are very high and who can look out for each other, should go through first and set up at the bottom as safety boats before the others go through.

• If the rapid is very difficult, safety precautions should be taken before the first boat goes through. Multiple throw ropes may be set up if the location is suitable. Remember that throw rope rescues require preplanning and practice, are only effective on narrower sections, and require an alert and conscious swimmer who is holding on to his equipment and a rope thrower who can hit him. As important as throw ropes may be, they are more often useful during recovery operations than for rescues. It might be necessary to carry or line safety boats to the bottom of a rapid for effective protection. Paddlers should wait until everyone is through the last obstacle before taking off the river for lunch or a break.

• Individuals who are uncomfortable with a rapid should be allowed to walk or line it. Respect their decision not to run a stretch and don't pressure, harass, or embarrass them.

• Playing should be encouraged as an aid to improving boat handling skills. Encourage people to stretch their limits; support people who are doing so. Observe common courtesy: one boat at a time, don't push other boats out, don't monopolize the spot, take turns. Don't get in other peoples' way when playing and don't run over people who are playing. Boats coming downstream have the right of way. Unless it is specifically a play trip, players should be considerate of others and move downstream in a reasonable time.

• Don't assume that someone is so good that he (she) will not get in trouble. An advanced boater may get in trouble pushing his limits. Also, he (she) may be paddling a boat that is tricky to handle even if he looks very secure in it.

• Be aware of river hazards and watch out for people paddling near them. The most deadly types of hazards are lowhead dams, undercut rocks and strainers. Stay away from dams, but on any very small dams or ledges you are tempted to run, be aware that a smooth, bubbly surface downstream indicates a deep backwash.

• Don't abandon safety procedures if you get rushed, are running out of daylight, the weather changes or for any other reason that may tempt you.

• Remember: Avoid Accidents.